Expert gives talk on Buddhism

Last Saturday night, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu spoke to a packed auditorium about Dzogchen, a form of Buddhism.

Over 200 people filled Hopkinson Hall at the International House -- located at Chestnut and 37th streets -- and about 20 people sat on the wooden floor in an area that had been cleared aside to use as a meditation space.

Norbu spoke about the Four Noble Truths, which are the basic principles of all forms of Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths describe human suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path to enlightenment.

"But why did Buddha teach suffering instead of the mind, when we know the mind is more important? Buddha first taught suffering because it is concrete and humans know suffering," Norbu said.

Much of Buddhism is about observing the mind and how one's thoughts arise. In front of the audience, Norbu tried to answer those questions.

"Many people ask, 'Who I am? Why I'm here?' Norbu added. "But if we discover our real condition then we have that reply... To discover our real condition, we must know our physical body, energy level, and mind."

Norbu then moved on to explain how to explore the true human condition. The first step is exploring the breath.

"Breathing is life. You are always inhaling and exhaling, without interruption. If you interrupt that, there is no life. So life is breathing," Norbu said.

The next step Norbu said in understanding the human condition is to learn about the essence of the mind.

"It is more difficult to find the mind. We can observe it, but we can't find anything concrete because our condition is emptiness. We can find something concrete, but then suddenly another thought arises."

At the end of the talk, many audience members went on stage to talk with the Master and to be blessed by him.

"In the end, it's like what [Norbu] was saying. People all have different capacities, so there are a lot of different ways to teach people. But in the end, you get to the same place," John La France, one of the two volunteers who organized Norbu's appearance in Philadelphia, said.

Norbu's talk was relevant not only to practitioners of Buddhism, but also to those just seeking spirituality.

"I live in New York, and I saw the Towers come down. Listening to his talk helps you stop asking 'why me?' and realize it's part of life," New York City resident Joy Pillborough said.

Pillborough has no previous experience in Buddhism but was invited to attend the talk by her father.

Her father, Chris Pillborough -- a resident of New Jersey --explained why he came all the way to Philadelphia to hear Norbu speak.

"I'm fascinated by what's behind our life and our existence as human beings," Pillborough said.

Local resident Sandy Schoenholt, who has been practicing meditation and Buddhism since 1974 really enjoyed the talk.

"He was incredibly clear, but I don't think you could have gotten it if you didn't have any background [in Buddhism]," Schoenholt said.

Norbu's talk concluded his Spring 2002 tour of the United States. In total, Norbu gave a series of three public talks -- the other two were held in Massachussets. He also hosted two one-week long retreats -- one in New York and the other at Harvard University.

However, Norbu has established centers for the study and practice of Dzogchen Buddhism throughout the world.

In addition, Norbu was a Professor at the University of Naples in Italy from 1960 to 1978. Since 1976 he has been giving instruction in Dzogchen in countries around the world.

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